The present invention relates to mobile vacuum pickup machines, and more particularly relates to a truck mounted machine adapted for collecting hazardous waste materials by a vacuum pickup boom which is operable by a driver from inside of the truck.
In the prior art, mobile vacuum loaders have been used in industrial applications, primarily to provide a means for collecting and storing fairly large amounts of residue, and thereafter transporting such residue to a residue dump. These devices have been mounted on truck chassis and/or trailers which are towed by trucks, and usually incorporate a movable boom or suction hose which may be manipulated by an operator in the vicinity of the truck. After the collection tank has been filled, it is typical for prior art loaders to incorporate a hydraulically-actuated dump box and tailgate so that the collected material may be dumped at a convenient site. While such devices are perfectly adequate for normal refuse pickup applications, they are not primarily adaptable for collecting hazardous waste. Hazardous waste collection frequently requires that the operator be isolated from the immediate area where the hazardous waste residue is located, and requires remote control actuation capability so that the operator can manipulate a pickup mechanism without coming into direct physical contact with the residue which is being collected. Further, hazardous waste collection and dumping usually requires the transfer of the collected residue from the collection tank into a dumping and storage area to be accomplished under isolation conditions, wherein the dumping process does not permit the escape of any of the residue into the atmosphere.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,893 shows a typical prior art machine. In this device, a dump truck having an enclosed box is equipped with an inlet pickup conduit for conveying wet or dry material into the collection box. An outlet from the box is connectible through a series of filters to a blower which develops the suction force necessary for collecting and conveying the necessary materials, and the blower discharges its exhaust air into the environment. The dump box is emptied by means of a hydraulic lifting mechanism which lifts the box to an inclined angle, and the material is dumped through an openable tailgate in a more or less conventional manner. Because of the construction of this machine, which is representative of the prior art, it is extremely difficult and somewhat dangerous to utilize it for the pickup of hazardous waste materials. First, the inlet conveying mechanism is adapted for manual operation by an operator, in the manner of a vacuum cleaner pickup. Second, the dumping mechanism of the machine does not provide for safe removal of the collected wastes into an enclosed space, for the waste material must be dumped at an unloading site and thereafter moved to an enclosed storage area if desired.
The present invention overcomes the foregoing disadvantages, and thereby provides a mobile pickup machine which may be operated by an operator from inside of an enclosed cab, and may be dumped into an enclosed space by means of a pressurized exhaust system.